Plein air gouache landscape painting of an approaching storm over the ocean in Florida.

Gouache painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100

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Although we had wonderful weather on our trip, one day a huge storm moved in toward our island. I sat on our deck and tried to get the feel of the turmoil in a gouache seascape. It was dramatic for a while, but luckily the storm only created a short, refreshing rainfall. Since gouache is opaque, I was able to overpaint the waves in white to highlight the gazebo on the shore.

Plein air watercolor painting of colorful sailboats on the beach

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches 100

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I saw these colorful sailboats on the beach every day and finally one morning, I braved the sand and wind to do several  watercolor paintings of them. The vibrant primary colors really shimmered in the bright sunshine.

Pastel painting of palm trees reflecting in a pond on Sanibel Island, Florida

Pastel painting 8 inches x 10.5 inches $200

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Another “travel” pastel landscape painting from one of our visits down to Florida. Sanibel Island is one of our favorite places down south. This is the view from our back window, right after a fish surfaced in the pond.

We had a wonderful southern vacation and a fantastic holiday. Now it is time to get serious in the studio. I have a whole pile of sketches ready to be made into full-blown pastel paintings and I can’t wait to get at them!

Plein Air watercolor painting of fishing shacks in the Harbor at Woods Hole on Cape Cod.

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches       $100

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Another quick watercolor painting from our Cape Cod trip. This little shack looked like it had a bunch of “renovations” over the years, each time in a new style and color…

Plein air watercolor painting of the harbor at Woods Hole on Cape Cod

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches       $100

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Last week, I, my sisters, and a stray husband or two traveled out east to Cape Cod and Boston. I had high hopes of painting the old historic architecture and quaint villages. But there was so much to see and we were moving fast. I did get an hour to do a few watercolor landscapes when we stopped at Wood’s Hole on the cape. Most of the penninsula was deserted but this little town, known for its Oceanographic Institution, was bustling. The gang stopped for coffee at a cool little shop and I stole a few minutes on the harbor…

Well…so much for no rain. It poured all day Saturday with just a few peeps of sunshine. But the intrepid plein air painters gutted it out and produced an amazing amount of really fine art. The reception at Tvedten Fine Art was wonderful and many works were sold to benefit the area’s Nature Conservancy. Including two pastel landscapes I did of Angell Farm! Great fun!

Watercolor landscape painting of Portofino, Italy

Watercolor painting      10 inches x 8.5 inches SOLD

I just delivered this watercolor commission to a woman who asked me to create it as a birthday present for her best friend. They had recently visited Italy together and she wanted this watercolor landscape to commemorate their trip. THey both loved Portofino, a beautiful Mediterranean port on the east coast. I worked from a photo she provided but made composition changes and simplified the scene a bit. She was really happy with it. Now I can’t wait to hear what her friend thinks about her surprise art present!

Pastel landscape painting of water reflections beneath a dock and boat.

Pastel painting 12 inches x 18 inches   $650

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This is the second pastel landscape in a series that I’m doing on water reflections. I’m really enjoying zeroing in on this “micro landscape” and exploring color and composition within a restricted space.  I especially like the way the rocks slowly recede into the water in this piece.

The first pastel in this series will be available at my new gallery in Harbor Springs in August. Tvedten Fine Art is a wonderful gallery filled with amazing art by Michigan and national artists. I am so pleased to be joining these talented artists including Margaret Tvedten, the owner and artiste extraordinaire!

Plein air pastel landscape of a sunlit lake near Douglas, Michigan

Pastel painting 9 inches x 6 inches   $100

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Yesterday I drove over to the west side of Michigan to drop off 7 new watercolors to the gallery that represents me in the Saugatuk-Douglas area. Button Gallery has recently taken over the huge gallery space where Petter Gallery operated for years. They have refreshed the art and created a gorgeous space to explore paintings and sculpture. It feels almost like a museum only friendlier. They don’t currently have a website but you can find information on them here: http://saugatuckdouglas.com/button.htm

While I was there, I stopped in the quaint, arty town of Douglas and did this quick plein air pastel landscape of Kalamazoo Lake near the end of Main Street. The sun shining on the water intrigued me and the water lilies and weeds made for some interesting texture.

Pastel painting of the reflections of a boat and dock in harbor water.

Pastel painting 12 inches x 18 inches   $650

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I’m really excited about this new series I am starting. Reflections in water have always fascinated me. They are so transient and illusive and yet they can create lasting memories of place and time. I also like the “abstract” composition that reflections create.

I decided that this would be a perfect new pastel landscape or seascape subject to explore thoroughly in an extended series. I thought about attempting it in watercolor, but realized I will have much more control of the outcome in pastel.

I’ve been thinking about the possibilities of this exploration for a long time, and, now that I’ve finished one, I can’t wait to start the next one!

Pastel plein air painting of the Charlevoix lighthouse in midday sun.

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches   $200

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This lighthouse is like a magnet for me for some reason. This is the third time I’ve painted it in the last 2 years. I think it attracts me because it’s so stark and minimalist against the bright blue sky. Sometimes painting pastel landscapes can be overwhelming because there is SO MUCH out there to choose from that it becomes difficult to focus. Every once in a while, its nice to approach a simpler, straightforward subject!

Plein air pastel landscape painting of Lake Michigan coast

Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 6.5 inches   SOLD

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9 am, just north of Charlevoix and south of Petoskey. There is a sweet roadside park that I visit every year and every time I bring back a completely different landscape. Its one of those unique places where you can paint one scene, pivot 30 degrees, paint and equally beautiful view, pivot, paint, pivot, paint, etc.

Pastel paintings are especially good for this type of plein air work because they are relatively easy to set up and almost mess-free. (except the multi-colored dust all over your hands…and sometimes on your face!)